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National Museum of American History Names New Board Member

April 22, 2010

The Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History has added Jack Martin to its advisory board. The Smithsonian’s Board of Regents approved Martin for a three-year term.

The museum’s board was established in 1996 and is chaired by John F.W. Rogers of Goldman, Sachs and Co. With the addition of Martin, the board has 27 members, including historians, community business leaders and philanthropists. Members of the board advise the director on programs, exhibitions, facilities, development and finance.

“The addition of Jack Martin to our board brings entrepreneurial innovation as well as political expertise,” said Brent D. Glass, director of the museum. “We look forward to collaborating with Martin as we welcome him to the board.”

Martin is the chairman of Public Strategies, Inc., a global business advisory firm that he founded in 1988. Today owned by WPP of London, Public Strategies was the largest independent firm of its kind at the time of its sale in 2006. Since its start, Public Strategies has grown to more than 165 employees, with employees and affiliates in 15 U.S. cities, London and Mexico City.

Martin has served as senior advisor to the Democratic National Committee, a consultant to the U.S. Senate Democratic Campaign Committee and treasurer of the Texas Democratic Party. In Texas, Martin worked for his long-time friend and mentor, U.S. Senator Lloyd Bentsen, in various capacities for almost 20 years. He served as executive assistant to Benstsen and ran his last two re-election campaigns, after starting as his travel aide at the age of 20.

Martin has received four appointments to various public service positions from three Texas governors. In 1991, Texas State University—his alma mater—named him a distinguished alumnus, after Martin served as a chairman of the board of regents of the Texas State University System.

Martin also serves on the board of visitors of the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, as well as the board of the LBJ Foundation, which supports public policy education at the University of Texas’s LBJ School of Public Affairs and the Lyndon Baines Johnson Presidential Library and Archives.

The National Museum of American History collects, preserves and displays American heritage in the areas of social, political, cultural, scientific and military history. To learn more about the museum, visit http://americanhistory.si.edu. For Smithsonian information, the public may call (202) 633-1000, (202) 633-5285 (TTY).